narcissistic

Oscar 2022-03-21 09:02:24

The biggest problem with "Mank" comes from its formal contradiction. On the one hand, the texture of the picture is deliberately made old, and on the other hand, the directing skills are extremely modern. The 21:9 format, the lens movement that can only be achieved by Steadicam, all constitute a formal separation.

The text is amateurish from every angle. Even the most common biopic screenwriter wouldn't write a movie that requires readers to look up background material to understand it. The character of Mank is basically missing at the beginning and end of the movie, and the growth of the character is basically missing. The screenplay with high eyes and low skills indulges in cynicism, and it does not even reach the average level of the annual mass production of Chong Ao Ba Gu.

Photography shoots ps film against digital, and it turns out that both benefits are lost: neither the ultra-high dynamic range of "Roma" digital photography, nor the charming film grain of "Cold War". The photographer of this film has only shot American dramas before, and he may have tried his best to overcome technical difficulties to make it like this.

Compared with "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood", Quentin has built a solid group portrait, a believable atmosphere and an abundance of emotion. And "Mank" is clearly lost in self-righteous preaching.

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Extended Reading
  • Enola 2022-01-03 08:01:40

    The final monologue saved Manke's personal image, otherwise this piece would be a gorgeous empty account with numerous clues. The great thing about "Citizen Kane" in film history is that it is the first film with no answer and no chronological sequence. Each flashback is a separate piece to build a Kane that cannot be coherent with before and after, memory. The multi-layered conflict created Kane's most dazzling image of Shakespeare. If Fincher understood "Citizen Kane", he would not use trivial but time-coherent flashbacks to constantly superfluously complete a character who has been seen through from the outside to the inside from the beginning of the film. Using such a cumbersome narrative technique to portray Mank, who pioneered the innovation of narrative methods in film history (if "Citizen Kane" is really attributed to him), is not considered a kind of unconscious clumsiness caused by limited level. The conclusion is that a creator who loves his character does not mean that he agrees with his behavior, viewpoints and personality. Writing a character in a complimentary tone will definitely be hopelessly abducted. The right example is really under the nose of Vinci in the film: "Citizen Kane", which is mentioned repeatedly by all the characters.

  • Kasey 2022-03-27 09:01:12

    The intersection of the two lines is too powerful, and when Manke realizes that Orson Welles in front of him and his citizen Kane are one, he tells himself that he can no longer be the monkey in the hands of the wandering entertainer.

Mank quotes

  • Orson Welles: Mank? It's Orson Welles.

    Herman Mankiewicz: [etherized] Of course it is.

    Orson Welles: I think it's time we talked.

    Herman Mankiewicz: I'm all ears.

  • Herman Mankiewicz: You cannot capture a man's entire life in two hours. All you can hope is to leave the impression of one.